I S S U E 4
Khairani Barokka
cure for no diagnosis
i’ll put damson gloss on my tits
to make them shine.
halal, plum nail polish from home,
dashed on the lips.
scrub ass with wet pillows,
fortify t-zone pores
with malt milkshake.
slather thick tuna fish guts on my back,
then sit tight.
aperitifs wetting neck.
wait for the sun to dry all things,
a lab-coated observer to say that
yes, she belongs in a feast of confusion.
leave sum total of body be
for the crows, the machines.
for the coming red coup,
her majesty-goddess’
murmuring newsletter,
mapping each action,
firm hold everlasting
on my rabid causeways.
Khairani Barokka is an Indonesian writer and artist in London, whose work is published widely. She is Researcher-in-Residence and Research Fellow at UAL’s Decolonising Arts Institute. Her latest book is Rope (Nine Arches Press, 2017).